Language requirements for a spouse if a Hungarian citizen

ruggert wrote:

I'm a Hungarian citizen, married for over 5 years with children.

is my wife eligible for a Hungarian citizenship?
is she required to pass a language test?
will that test be required after being married for over 10 years?

Where does your wife live?  In Hungary?  Is she working in Hungary or has she been working and if so, for how long (in Hungary)?

What nationality is she originally?  If EU, why bother?  If British, fingers crossed but if here long than 5 years, apply for a permanent residents card anyway and hope it still works after 2019.

Yes, she has to pass a language test (there's no getting around that one for naturalisation).

As far as I know there's no age limit  on the language test but if over 60, she doesn't have to pass the constitutional affairs exam which is helpful.  I should say that as the mother of Hungarian kids she gets more interest in any naturalisation application.

I believe those 65 and over are exempt from the constitutional studies exam. The exam also serves as a de facto language test: I don't believe there's any separate Hungarian language requirement, apart from passing the exam. So I believe that if you're exempt from the exam you don't have to meet any language requirement. (Simplified Naturalization is different.)

zif wrote:

I believe those 65 and over are exempt from the constitutional studies exam. The exam also serves as a de facto language test: I don't believe there's any separate Hungarian language requirement, apart from passing the exam. So I believe that if you're exempt from the exam you don't have to meet any language requirement. (Simplified Naturalization is different.)

I thought the constitutional examination exemption was 60 when I looked recently. 

I couldn't see any exemption from a language exam.

They've rearranged the BMBAH web site and now it's almost impossible to find anything easily (maybe that was the intention).

I believe there is no exemption from the language requirement because there's no explicit language requirement: the exam effectively serves that purpose, at least for those under 65 or not otherwise exempt. This is different from Simplified Naturalization, which has an explicit language requirement.

zif wrote:

I believe there is no exemption from the language requirement because there's no explicit language requirement: the exam effectively serves that purpose, at least for those under 65 or not otherwise exempt. This is different from Simplified Naturalization, which has an explicit language requirement.

Can you post a link on that?

1993 Citizenship Law

Implementing Order

But maybe a need to supply a CV in one's own handwriting. See Art. 3(7) of the Order.

zif wrote:

1993 Citizenship Law

Implementing Order

But maybe a need to supply a CV in one's own handwriting. See Art. 3(7) of the Order.

Isn't there a later version? 

I seem to recall we've been around this loop in these forums before. 

There have been a lot of changes in the law including major ones in 2017 plus all the other stuff like granting citizenship to the ethnic Hungarians in the bordering countries.

Your turn. If you think the information I've provided is wrong, feel free to do your own research. Post some links!

zif wrote:

Your turn. If you think the information I've provided is wrong, feel free to do your own research. Post some links!

I looked by searching in these forums but a lot of previous links have expired but in the posts I found it did say 60.  BMBAH have reorganised their web site unfortunately and there have been so many changes since 1993.  Might have a look later or someone else might chip in.

ruggert wrote:

I'm a Hungarian citizen, married for over 5 years with children.

is my wife eligible for a Hungarian citizenship?
is she required to pass a language test?
will that test be required after being married for over 10 years?

I've been married for nearly 44 years to a Hungarian citizen, I'm from the US. Our son is a dual citizen.
We now live in Hungary and I have a 10 permit to stay.
I am over 60 years old.
If I wanted to be a HU citizen I would have to pass the HU language  test even as a senior aged person unless I am mentally deficient ( some may argue I am) it's in their rules.
So yes, your wife would have to pass the HU language test, doesn't matter if she is married to a HU citizen or the mother of a HU citizen.
If a person is disabled they may not have to take the language test but who knows what that actually means.
There had been a good link on this site about the laws and rules , I read it a few months back so this was the latest info I read.

Also from memory of the past link on this subject, it stated that the person had to be in Hungary full time for 8 years before even applying for citizenship.
Guess your wife has 3 years to learn the language then?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Also from memory of the past link on this subject, it stated that the person had to be in Hungary full time for 8 years before even applying for citizenship.
Guess your wife has 3 years to learn the language then?

Yes, I read that 8 year requirement too. I think that's been like that for a very long time.

zif wrote:

Your turn. If you think the information I've provided is wrong, feel free to do your own research. Post some links!

Unfortunately, the Hungarian government has pulled a lot of this information (especially in English, and even in Hungarian) off the government web sites recently. Posting links to "current" information is currently often not possible. The government expects you to go to or contact some office so they can disseminate "their" information under "their" terms. Transparency has taken a large hit here. And you can not trust links that reference laws from the last century as the government here changes the law constantly. Or thus trust anything on a non-government web site as being actually current or correct.

It you actually lived here full time, you would experience this and "understand". But from your expat path you don't seem to live here. Just saying.....

zif wrote:

I believe those 65 and over are exempt from the constitutional studies exam. The exam also serves as a de facto language test: I don't believe there's any separate Hungarian language requirement, apart from passing the exam.

You also have to take your nationality oath in Hungarian.....

ruggert wrote:

I'm a Hungarian citizen,

Then your best option is to ask your own local government immigration office for information. They will give the best up to date information.

ruggert wrote:

married for over 5 years with children.

is my wife eligible for a Hungarian citizenship?
is she required to pass a language test?
will that test be required after being married for over 10 years?

Well, according to a basic source anyone should be able to find:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian … an_citizen

Your wife is eligible to request citizenship.

Of course, as others said, she will need to pass a test given in Hungarian unless she is exempt (ask your local government immigration office what are the current rules for being exempt).

But seriously..... if she wants to be a citizen, I think she should learn Hungarian so she can be an informed, integrated, responsible citizen. After all, as a citizen she can vote. But if she does not know Hungarian, will she be really and truly aware of what is even happening in her new "country" if she does not speak the language?

klsallee wrote:

......Transparency has taken a large hit here. And you can not trust links that reference laws from the last century as the government here changes the law constantly. Or thus trust anything on a non-government web site as being actually current or correct....It you actually lived here full time, you would experience this and "understand". But from your expat path you don't seem to live here. Just saying.....

One only has to look at BMBAH's website to see the laughable? Nay, let's say tragic discontinuity and cynicism between the "harmonious" pictures portraying a multi-cultural society and the reality of the large "protection" fence near Szeged, the criminalisation of refugees, lack of cohesion on policy with the EU refugee policy, OV statements as "protector" of Christian ideals, Hungarian cultural identity, illiberal "democracy", Putin derrière kissing and etc etc.

I won't go on. We've been here before.

fluffy2560 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

......Transparency has taken a large hit here. And you can not trust links that reference laws from the last century as the government here changes the law constantly. Or thus trust anything on a non-government web site as being actually current or correct....It you actually lived here full time, you would experience this and "understand". But from your expat path you don't seem to live here. Just saying.....

One only has to look at BMBAH's website to see the laughable? Nay, let's say tragic discontinuity and cynicism between the "harmonious" pictures portraying a multi-cultural society and the reality of the large "protection" fence near Szeged, the criminalisation of refugees, lack of cohesion on policy with the EU refugee policy, OV statements as "protector" of Christian ideals, Hungarian cultural identity, illiberal "democracy", Putin derrière kissing and etc etc.

I won't go on. We've been here before.

The info is in here somewhere > https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=159331 somewhere.